When a customer signs on with you to install their onsite system, gaining that customer is only half the battle. The hard, and valuable, part is retaining the customer for all future maintenance, upgrades and eventual replacements. Developing that relationship is an important component of your business. The hope is that they are so happy with your company that they become an advocate, referring you to all their family and friends. In this day of social media, having happy customers is critical. Long gone are the days of just pounding the system in, moving on and hoping for the best.
There are several things you can do to retain a customer. As the saying goes, it’s a lot less expensive to retain a customer than it is to gain a new one. However, it does take some effort to retain a customer. The following have been shown to be excellent ways to convert a customer to being an advocate of your business:
1. The advance effort
- Respond to customers promptly. (This is one of the most important takeaways here — do not underestimate this one.)
- Make certain your proposal is thorough and spells out what is included, what is not included, and what should be expected at exactly what price. It’s important that your proposal states that the written proposal is the agreement in its entirety and that any verbal comments are not binding. If something is being changed (added or removed), put it in writing. The contract should state that any understandings must be written only.
- We always stress to any person who has received a proposal that if they have questions, we meet in person at the site to do a walk-through and answer all questions in person. This type of work does not work well limiting questions and answers to phone only.
- At this site visit, I tell our customers that if they accept our proposal there will still be another site visit with the crew lead. This visit is invaluable as the crew lead and homeowner can talk through all the specifics. Like I tell every customer, I’d rather overplan because I don’t believe in surprises for either party, us or the customer.
- Have the customer assist in planning tank placement. You don’t want them assuming the tanks will be in one place, but you install them where their deck, pool or patio was going to go. If the system does not go in the way the customer expected, that’s how you get an unhappy customer.
- If they accept your contract, get the underground utilities located.
- Keep the customer informed. If the install date changes due to weather or any other reason, keep the customer posted. Do not imply a certain date and not show up on that date without the customer being aware of the change.
2. Install day(s)
- The crew should have copies of the work order, which is the proposal without any costs, so they can clearly see what is included and what is not included. Meet with the crew and do a walk-through of the job so everyone is on the exact same page.
- Take care not to wreck any trees (or anything else).
- Is there an alternate access so you can avoid their asphalt drive with your trucks and equipment?
- Keep the customer apprised if any detail from what you agreed upon is going to change. The change does not have to be one that affects the cost. Again, you don’t want to surprise the customer. Surprises aren’t good in our line of work. Meet or exceed the customers expectations.
3. After job completion
Meet with the customer to do a walk through of their new system. At this in-person meeting, provide them with the owner’s manual/management plan.
- Discuss the importance of keeping the access covers locked.
- Show the filter and how it gets cleaned and how often. Explain that some homeowners clean it themselves, or your company can do it for a fee. This step is important as there are some common misconceptions here. When customers hear the term filter they think of a furnace filter or an oil filter and assume it is something that requires replacement.
- Discuss the importance of maintenance, pumping and inspection of the system to prolong the longevity of the system and reduce issues with the system.
- Review the management plan regarding what should and should not be flushed into the system.
- If the system has a pump and alarm, stress the urgency of checking the breakers if the alarm goes off; if it’s not a tripped breaker, give them instructions to contact you or their local service provider right away. Some people are not aware of the need to call anyone when the alarm activates.
- If you installed a holding tank or system with a pump, offer one of the platforms that allows them to monitor tank levels in real time and allows you (or homeowner) to preset levels at which homeowner and service provider will be texted at specific levels. This adds a comfort factor to some tech-smart homeowners.
- Make a schedule in a calendar to contact the homeowner with filter cleaning reminders and pumping reminders. Most appreciate this help. When a customer sees that you care about the long-term viability of their system it makes a big difference.
- Provide ongoing support, answer questions and offer maintenance. An educated customer is best for the longevity of the system.
I know a lot of these steps seem like common sense — who wouldn’t do these items — but unfortunately a lot of installers out there miss some of these steps and it leads to unhappy customers.
You can boil down all of the above to one word: communication. The secret in our business to making a customer as happy as possible is communication: explaining up front what to expect, and keeping them posted throughout the process.
About the author
Todd Stair is vice president of Herr Construction, Inc., with 34 years’ experience designing, installing, repairing, replacing and evaluating septic and mound systems in southeast Wisconsin. He is the author of The Book on Septics and Mounds and a former president of the Wisconsin Onsite Water Recycling Association.
